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Factors Affecting Halal Purchase Intention - Evidence From Pakistan's Halal Food Sector
Factors Affecting Halal Purchase Intention - Evidence From Pakistan's Halal Food Sector
Factors Affecting Halal Purchase Intention - Evidence From Pakistan's Halal Food Sector
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MRR
38,6
Factors affecting Halal purchase
intention – evidence from
Pakistan’s Halal food sector
640 Hayat M. Awan, Ahmad Nabeel Siddiquei and Zeeshan Haider
Business Administration, Air University, Multan, Pakistan
Received 21 January 2014
Revised 9 March 2014
Accepted 19 June 2014
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and determine the connection of various antecedents
from educational literary works with Halal purchase intention. It also aims to investigate which
antecedents, among all antecedents, have the highest possible participation toward the development of
Halal food purchase intention. Consumers across the globe have an ever increasing demand for Halal
items nowadays. Similarly, food stuff in Halal category has an increased acceptance across the globe.
Numerous researches have therefore focused on Halal food perception, Halal understanding and its
approval in various areas of the world.
Design/methodology/approach – A total of 300 respondents were taken from four major cities of
Pakistan to examine the relationship of factors that influence customer’s Halal purchase intention. Data
were collected through structured questionnaire having seven-point Likert scale. It was divided into
eight sections with statements measuring Halal Awareness, Halal Marketing, Subjective norms,
Religion and Religiosity, Attitude, Subjective norms, Perceived Behavioural control, Halal Certification
and Purchase Intention.
Findings – The paper draws the findings that most of the customers rely on Halal Marketing, Personal
and Societal perception and Halal certifications. On the other hand, least importance was given to their
religious beliefs when making a purchase decision. The findings also suggest that customers are
influenced by Halal Marketing and Branding practices of food products as they are being influenced by
the sales promotions and celebrity endorsements. It has also been found that customers are willing to
spend considerable efforts and money to purchase Halal food.
Originality/value – The paper clarifies the strategies for Halal food manufacturers and marketers
who are following Islamic Marketing philosophy as a base for their marketing campaigns. The study
also provides a detailed insight into various behavioural, societal and marketing dimensions that guides
the customers about their purchase intentions.
Keywords Religiosity, Purchase intention, Halal certification, Halal food, Halal marketing
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
One of the religions with food inhibitions is Islam. It is the religion governed by rules and
customs built on five mainstays, which every Muslim has to observe: shahadah or
witnessing; Salat or prayer; zakah or charity; Sawm or fasting and Hajj or pilgrimage. In
addition to these, Muslims have to monitor a set of dietary prescriptions intended to
advance their well-being. These rules are found in the Quran and in the Sunnah, the
Management Research Review practice of the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H), as recorded in the books of Hadith. Halal
Vol. 38 No. 6, 2015
pp. 640-660
is a word which originated from Arabic language meaning “lawful or permitted”. Halal
© Emerald Group Publishing Limited
2040-8269
means those things that are permissible or lawful under Sharia. Every eatable or
DOI 10.1108/MRR-01-2014-0022 drinkable food item is considered Halal until or unless it is forbidden in the holy book of
Islam, i.e. Qur’an and sayings of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H), i.e. Hadith. The current Factors
market of the Muslims is nearly of worth US$ 2 trillion, which makes it one of the most affecting Halal
growing consumer markets segments. Around 1.6 billion Muslims make the 23.4 per
cent global percentage. If the current trend continues, there will be an increase of 26.4 per
purchase
cent and the total population the Muslims will reach 8 billion in 2030 (Temporal, 2011). intention
The Halal food contributes 12 per cent towards trade in the agri-based food products
which leads to US$ 560 billion in monetary terms. Moreover, Asia Pacific is the potential 641
and highest market of the Halal foods, while Singapore is the most important
trans-shipment centre. Muslims in this region make up 62 per cent of Muslims
worldwide, among which South Asia has the second highest population (Temporal,
2011).
Additionally, the world’s leading fast-food restaurants like KFC, McDonalds have
introduced Halal food range in their food categories and, similarly, giant retailers like
Carrefour and Albert Heijn have also introduced Halal meat in their product assortment.
In the recent years, it has also been argued that the consumers, irrespective of their
religion, have become more and more concerned about the food products they purchase
and consume. This awareness is due to the customers, both Muslims and non-Muslims,
who are gradually more involved in the food they eat. To take the experienced options
for the reasonable business, there should be appropriate information of items which is
very important for customers, particularly in the regularly increasing industry of Halal
food. Globally, clients, especially Muslims, are more engaged in issues regarding Halal
products because religious knowledge becomes a critical facet that affects consumption
actions (Essoo and Dibb, 2004). Halal research actually covers extensive areas of
consideration: purchase intention, basis of returns (Regenstein et al., 2003), consumers
attitude towards Halal products and purchase intention (Mukhtar and Butt, 2012;
Maheswaran and Sternthal, 1990a, 1990b), word of mouth (Söderlund, 2006) and
religiosity (Worthington et al., 2003). Because demand for Halal products and services
has been increasing (Bernama, 2009) and even with the prominence of the Halal market
segment and its emergent profits (Fischer, 2008), research on Halal food and its
consumption pattern by Muslim community has been fundamentally significant (Bonne
et al., 2009). Measuring the precise attitude of consumers, especially Muslims, towards
Halal food purchase, the intention is still questionable and is therefore an
under-researched area (Lada et al., 2010; Bonne et al., 2009; Ahmed, 2008). It seems that
the Halal sector is in need of further auxiliary research: related to supply chain of Halal
food products, which challenges argumentative concerns of government regulation and
principles based on Islamic philosophy in the contemporary international marketplace,
and devotedly detains the customer involvement (Jonathan and Wilson, 2012). The
current study develops the prevailing literature in three ways. First, it incorporates the
important but previously ignored constructs of Halal awareness, Halal certification and
Halal marketing concept towards Halal food purchase intention (Rajagopal et al., 2011).
This will benefit in resolving the consideration on whether explicit marketing practices
and its potential outcomes can positively influence consumer buying intention of Halal
food products. Second, it is the first study of its type that discusses significant difference
among various factors affecting purchase intention while purchasing Halal food
product based on the high and low religious beliefs of consumers, as this religiosity is a
fundamental principle that affects behaviour (Alam et al., 2011).Third, for the first time,
analytical hierarchical process technique, which is a multi-criteria decision-making
MRR method, has been used in the study of Halal food to categorize individual items based on
38,6 their level of criticality for purchase intention using global priority weights (Wind and
Saaty, 1980; Formen and Gass, 2001). Fourth, the model is tested on Halal food sector of
developing economy of a Muslim country which, in its own, is an exceptional
investigation in the literature of Islamic marketing. The remaining paper has been
divided into four sections. The first section contributes a detailed review of literature,
642 research objectives and four research questions. The second and third sections are about
research methodology and results/discussion, respectively, while the fourth section
comprises conclusion and implications of this study.
Literature review
Halal awareness
Halal is defined as anything that is allowed or acceptable to Muslims (Eliasi and Dwyer,
2002; Berry and Donna, 2000; Berry, 2008). Islamic food products can be separated into
nine categories between Halal and Haram. Makrooh and Mashbooh fall in between these
categories (Eliasi and Dwyer, 2002). This is very essential for the Muslim customers to
know the product categories that they buy and use (Shaari and Arifin, 2009). Regardless
of the extensively offered Halal food products, and frequent research information on
Halal food market, there is an absence of theory-driven research on Halal food
purchasing (Alam and Sayuti, 2011). Moreover, consumers are not exposed adequately
to Halal certification and Halal brands (Rajagopal et al., 2011). At the same time, there
has been a lack of unpretentious knowledge on the connection between Halal concept
such as Halal consciousness and Halal accreditation with purchase intention in the
context of purchasing Halal products (Aziz and Chok, 2013). According to previous
studies (Bang et al., 2000) knowledge has an influence on intention, as increasing
knowledge is likely to influence the intention. Similarly, the knowledge in the direction
of the influence of marketing-related concept such as advertising and branding with
Halal purchase intention is almost unavailable (Aziz and Chok, 2013). Although vendors
are beginning to achieve an understanding on the significance of Halal accreditation and
Halal awareness, still very little is known about Halal components and other
determinants that have an impact on purchase intention. The manifestation of
publicized Halal food meaningfully impacts consumer knowledge of Halal principles
(Rezai et al., 2012).Consequently, Halal awareness has a substantial influence on
explaining the intention to purchase Halal products (Aziz and Chok, 2013). Previous
studies (Bonne et al., 2009) involved habit as an independent construct in Halal meat
purchase intention while considering Halal awareness as part of an overall habit. In the
UAE, the awareness of youngsters concerning fundamental Halal principles and Halal
accreditations is tremendously low (Rajagopal et al., 2011), and this paradigm needs to
be confirmed in other parts of the world, especially in the Muslim countries.
Religion and religiosity. Spiritual values and religiosity set behaviour standards that
directly and ultimately impacts option of meals attributes. Spiritual values perform
important tasks to influence consumer behaviour and actions because of humans’
nature, where their behaviour and actions are based on their values (Shaari and Arifin,
2009). Essoo and Dibb (2004) contend that religion affects consumer alternative option
on meals and grocery products. Spiritual values also affect the lifestyle which then
affects the actions of the customers (Ahmed, 2008). Therefore, religious perception
becomes an important aspect that affects consumption actions (Essoo and Dibb, 2004).
More religious consumer will buy more Halal meals as nearest as possible to the Factors
religious perception and prevent themselves from getting involved in activities that are affecting Halal
against the religious guidelines (Schneider et al., 2011; Masnono, 2005).Therefore, the
religious belief of customers has become a very important part in marketing,
purchase
particularly in advertisements (Froehle, 1994). Religiosities also have a strong effect on intention
consumer actions and behaviour to buy Halal foods (Weaver and Agle, 2002).
Individual’s level of religiosity positively affects attitude towards the Halal products 643
(Mukhtar and Butt, 2012).
Abundant empirical evidence supports that one’s religion influences consumer
attitude and behaviour in general (Delener, 1994; Pettinger et al., 2004) and food choices
and consumption pattern in particular (Mennell et al., 1992; Steenkamp et al., 1999;
Steptoe et al., 1995; Ghadirian and Shatenstein, 1997; Mullen et al., 2000). Religion even
plays a significant role in many societies of the world pertaining to food choices
(Dindyal, 2003; Musaiger, 1993). A religion may influence consumer behaviour (Delener,
1994, Pettinger et al., 2004), particularly in food buying and consuming behaviour
(Bonne et al., 2009). Schiffman and Kanuk (1997) also found that religious identity is a
significant factor in buying Halal food product. Muslims have a religious compulsion to
consume Halal foods (Bonee et al., 2007). Similarly, religiosity is imperative as a
determinant of individual’s cognition as a Halal food consumer (Sitasari, 2008).
Although religion has been a substantial force in the lives of many individuals, its exact
role in consumer food choice is rather uncertain (Delener, 1994). The impact of religion
on food consumption depends on the religion itself and on an individual’s level of
religiosity. Most religions have dietary laws related to food intake (Pork is strictly
prohibited in Islam and Judaism), while Christianity has no food exclusions (Sack, 2001,
p. 218). The consumption of animal meat products are severely monitored related to
religious considerations (Shatenstein and Ghadirian, 1997). Although religions may
levy severe dietary laws, the extent of person succeeding them might diverge
significantly.
Perceived behavioural control. Perceived behavioural control is defined as
perceptions of the extent to which the behaviour is measured to be manageable. It
measures the point to which individuals distinguish that they truly have mechanism
over endorsing the behaviour of attention (Liou and Contento, 2001). Perceived
behavioural control is of superior interest than tangible control, as it deliberates people’s
intuition of the comfort or struggle of performing the behaviour of curiosity (Verbeke
and Vackier, 2005). Perceived behaviour is one of the independent determinants of
individual’s intention towards purchasing decision. Ideas of perceived behavioural
control are mainly companionable with Bandura’s (1977) concepts of perceived
self-efficacy which is concerned with ruling of how well one can implement necessary
actions to contract with the particular situation. Perceived behavioural control evaluates
the limits of person’s control on his behaviour (Liou and Contento, 2001; Karijin et al.,
2007). Although subjective and objective knowledge are connected, they are discrete in
two phases (Alba and Hutchinson, 1987; Brucks, 1985). First, when people do not
precisely perceive how much or how little they really know, subjective knowledge may
over- or underestimate one’s actual product knowledge. Second, measures of subjective
knowledge can indicate self-confidence levels as well as knowledge levels.
Attitude. According to Keller (2003), knowledge has levels and foundations based on
the consumer’s awareness, perceived attributes, perceived image and opinion about
MRR product and its experience that are closely associated with the consumer’s overall
38,6 understanding of a brand, while attitude is a psychological state and results in a good or
bad image of an entity (Eagly and Chaiken, 1995). It is also said that attitude is a learned
tendency to act in a certain favourable or unfavourable manner (Schiffman and Kanuk,
2007). In other words, the attitude of consumers is based on their belief and knowledge
regarding a certain commodity, which is a result of information integration process and
644 ultimately influences individual’s aim to behave in a certain manner (Xiao et al., 2011).
Ajzen (1991) cited that “the more favourable the attitude with respect to a behaviour, the
stronger is the individual’s intention to perform the behaviour under consideration”. It is
hard to measure attitude directly; consumers have to rely on research erasures to
measure this construct (Phau et al., 2009). Subsequently, an individual attitude for Halal
food is originated from their belief that the product is Halal, and it will lead to favourable
attitudes, such as having an intention to purchase (Ajzen, 1991). Attitude construct has
been broadly studied of late and is considered to be a predictor of consumer intention to
purchase, especially in food category. Alam and Sayuti (2011) found that attitude poses
a strong impact on consumer purchase intention and consumers having more high/
positive attitude seem to have greater intent to purchase Halal food. Studies (Choo et al.,
2004) have found that innovation-oriented consumers have a positive relationship
between attitude and purchase intention. Some other studies (Lada et al., 2010) also
found a positive relationship between attitude and consumer purchase intention of Halal
food products. Research on food buying behaviours of individuals (Tarkiainen and
Sundqvist, 2011) also established a strong positive correlation between individual
attitude and purchase intention. A latest study (Mukhtar and Butt, 2012) focused on
Halal food found a significant relationship between Halal food purchase intention and
the attitude to purchase it.
Subjective norms. Subjective norm assesses the social pressure on individuals to
perform or not to perform certain behaviour, i.e. the motivation to comply with
significant others’ views. It represents the fact that important referents (other
individuals or groups) think that one should carry out the actions and the inspiration to
adhere to these referents (Nilsson et al., 2004). Very subjective standards evaluate the
social demands on the individual to execute or not to execute particular actions (Rhodes
and Courneya, 2003). Very subjective standard may have a more powerful effect on
purchase objective of Halal foods if earlier topics were analyzed. Lee and Green (1991)
discovered that subjective standard was an important forecaster for behaviour objective
in the Philippines, while attitude was discovered to surpass the impact of subjective
standard in the USA. One study though focuses on Organic food products (Tarkiainen
and Sundqvist, 2011), while Halal food products have completely been neglected.
Studies (Mukhtar and Butt, 2012) have also found that subjective norm appears to be the
strongest of all the predictors for choosing Halal products. Similar studies (Lada et al.,
2010) have found subjective norm to be the most influential predictor of purchase
intention.
Halal marketing concept. Understanding behaviour of consumers is imperative to
market Halal food products. This food sector shares general standards with numerous
other conventional sectors in terms of its marketing, but, nevertheless, has its explicit set
of implications (Jonathan and Wilson, 2012). Muslim consumers are comparable to
several other consumer groups in terms of their demand of nutritious and superior food
products, but the difference originates from their requirement of Shariah-conformed
food products (Carla Power, 2009). It is therefore worthwhile to take a look at each of the Factors
four tools of marketing mix that can be used to satisfy customers and company affecting Halal
objectives (Carla Power, 2009). This is the way for the marketers to evaluate their
customers that how they are responding according to the company marketing
purchase
strategies. Kotler and Amstrong (2006) have acknowledged that brand is more than just intention
a name and symbols. A study (Sungkar, 2009) revealed that brands have the power to
distinguish the products and communicate with the customer. Purchase intentions of 645
Halal foods are routinely measured and used by marketing practitioners as an input for
sales or market share forecasts (Hosein et al., 2011). Laroche et al. (1996) suggest that
variables such as customers’ consideration in buying a brand and expectation to buy a
brand can be used to measure consumer purchase intention. Important
marketing-related factors also play a significant role in predicting the intention to
purchase Halal products (Aziz and Chok, 2013). To be successful, a business should
increase orientation toward satisfying consumer needs and establish trust through the
production of intrinsically safe products and reliable and effective communication of
these products through effective marketing campaigns (Verbeke, 2000). Consumers are
not exposed enough to Halal certification and Halal brands through marketing
communication, and it is suggested to have a greater use of marketing and branding to
promote and sell Halal products and services (Rajgopal et al., 2011). Furthermore,
Verbeke highlighted that when people get exposed to communication, this changes their
attitudes resulting in retention of a new attitude. Certain forms of communication by
corporations can determine purchase decisions (Richardson et al., 1994). It could be
assumed that perhaps it is the lack of communication that influences people’s decisions
on where to shop. In addition to it, availability of products is the most crucial element in
countries like Pakistan having low brand loyalty among consumers (Siddiquei et al.,
2013). Studies (Tarkiainen and Sundqvist, 2011) in the organic food sector established
no significant relationship between availability of organic food products and price with
buying intentions. However, the findings of the study by Ireland and Rajabzadeh (2011)
found that almost all consumers are afraid about the Halal prestige of their products and
it represents a great opportunity for trustworthy firms, brands and institutions. Brand
managers and marketers will have to adopt multiple marketing strategies to build
international brands in a variety of countries that appeal to Muslims (Temporal, 2011).
Halal certification. It is an acute factor in Muslim’s consumption decision of whether
a product is Halal. Consequently, Halal directives and accreditation systems were
established to facilitate Muslim consumers in purchasing those products which conform
to Islamic jurisprudence. The certification of products as Halal and Halal logo on the
product do not only guarantee the Muslims what they eat or consume is according to the
Islamic law but also give confidence to producers to meet up to the Halal standards (Arif
and Ahmad, 2011). The correct labelling on Halal food is essential for consumers
because certain labels can often be misleading (HFA, 2002/2003). This is an issue not just
for Halal meat but also for food in general. Adding up, to fulfil the Halal requirements,
food manufacturers are motivated to adapt and maintain standard that meet worldwide
benchmark like as “ISO 9000”, “Codex Alimentary”, “HACCP” and “Good Hygienic
Practice” (Hayati et al., 2008). Halal logo has become a common tool for the purpose of
convincing the Muslims in several countries, and there are estimated 1.5 billion Muslims
throughout the world (Utusan Malaysia, Aug 27, 2004). Certification obligates a quality
control process to oversee effective implementation of required production conditions
MRR and assures quality standards. Nowadays, Muslims are making their presence felt
38,6 socially and politically and are requesting Halal-certified food products (Riaz and
Chaudry, 2004; Shafie and Othman, 2006). Since being certified “Halal”, KFC, Burger
King and Taco Bell have all seen a 20 per cent increase in customer base (Sabri, 2006).
Recent reports indicate that UAE Muslim consumers desire Halal certification because
they are concerned about the Halal status of their purchases (Ireland and Rajabzadeh,
646 2011). Restaurant managers also believe in the certification of Halal food products. They
feel that Halal certification is very predominant in the hospitality industry, as it
encourages the importance of restaurant managers having knowledge of Muslims’ food
boundaries, understanding and spiritual practices (Marzuki et al., 2012). More and more
international food brands appeared in the markets of Muslim countries and likewise
pushed the matter of Halal certification (Riaz and Chaudry, 2004). There is a demand for
Halal certification of food products by the Muslim consumers, irrespective of their
country of origin. This indicates the necessity of Halal-certified food products, as it
seems to be a significant factor in purchase decision of those products. In the same
scenario, some Muslim countries like Indonesia and Malaysia have established
regulatory authorities to establish food control.
Objective of the study. This study is designed to explore the factors that build
customer’s purchase intention of Halal food products. This study endeavoured to offer
answers to problems like what are the measures based on which customers purchase
Halal food products. What critical factors based on global priority weights mostly rely
on? What makes them personally satisfied when they are purchasing Halal food
product? In addition to this, the significant differences among the factors influencing
purchase intention in different groups of religious beliefs have also been explored.
Furthermore, this study would conclude with setting up imperative consequences for
prevailing and prospective companies of Halal food industry and deliver strategies to
the organizations as to how diverse customer[s] group can and what type of marketing
approaches they can use to increase their coverage and exploit the positive attitude and
intentions to purchase Halal food products.
Research questions. The study was prepared to examine the subsequent research
questions (RQs):
RQ1. What are the factors that affect consumer Halal food purchase intention?
RQ2. Is there any significant difference while purchasing Halal food product based
on the high and low religious beliefs?
RQ3. What are the individual elements that create this purchase intention based on
the level of their criticality?
RQ4. What are contributions of different antecedents of Halal food toward overall
purchase intention?
These issues are deliberately selected for scientific research as they have substantial
manifestation in literary works, with their use to explain reasons for consumer’s
preference of food products.
Proposed model
The confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the collected data, and it confirms
five factors i.e. Halal Awareness, Personal and Societal Perception, Halal Marketing,
Halal Certification and Religious Belief. The literature identified seven factors Factors
influencing purchase intention. However, they are reduced to five after confirmatory affecting Halal
analysis where religion and religiosity are now termed as religious beliefs. At the same
time, attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control collectively form
purchase
Personal and Societal perception. The structural model to examine the relationships intention
between these factors and to purchase Halal products is presented in Figure 1:
H1. There is a positive significant relationship of Halal Awareness with purchase 647
intentions of Halal food products.
H2. There is a positive significant relationship of Personal and Societal Perception
with purchase intentions of Halal food products.
H3. There is a positive significant relationship Halal Marketing with purchase
intentions of Halal food products.
H4. There is a positive significant relationship of Halal Certification with purchase
intentions of Halal food products.
H5. There is a positive significant relationship of Religious Belief with purchase
intentions of Halal food products.
Research methodology
A structured seven-point Likert scale questionnaire ranging from “Strongly-agree”
to “Strongly-disagree” in a self-report form was used in this study as recommended
by Churchill (1995). The data were collected from the sample of 300 respondents who
purchase Halal food products from the following foremost cities of Pakistan, i.e.
Karachi (Business centre of Pakistan), Lahore (capital city of Punjab), Islamabad
(capital of Pakistan), Multan (City of Saints) and Faisalabad (industry hub of
Pakistan). The questionnaire was first prepared in English and then interpreted into
Urdu by a round-trip translation method with the help of professionals in English
and Urdu languages to diminish paraphrasing errors. Keeping in view the type and
nature of the study, the systematic sampling technique is used in the study where
every fifth customer coming out of store where Halal food is available was chosen to
Halal Markeng
Halal Awareness
Intensions to Purchase
Halal Products Halal
Religious Belief Cerficaon
Analysis
The reliability of model has been tested through Cronbach’s alpha. It is a descriptive
study that used confirmatory factor analysis on the data to find the factors that are most
influencing on developing purchase intention of Halal food products. Comparison of
means based on the religious beliefs has been done to check the difference of factors
influencing the purchase intention of Halal food among the two groups (high and low
religious consumers).Analytical hierarchical process has been used to identify the level
of criticality of individual elements that builds purchase intentions. Correlation analysis
has been used to see the contribution of different antecedents towards Halal food
purchase intention. Finally, regression analysis was applied to test the significance of
hypothesis.
Research findings
Cronbach’s alpha. Nunnaly (1978) has indicated 0.70 to be an acceptable reliability
coefficient, but lower thresholds are sometimes used in the literature. Cronbach’s alpha
applied on 40 items used in study is 0.853 that is closer to 1, showing the high reliability
of the proposed model.
Factor analysis. To answer the RQ1, factor analysis was applied. The factor analysis
of data explores the dimensions that create purchase intention of Halal food products in
Pakistan. The results in Table I suggest that there are five factors with all 37 items of
Halal purchase intention, providing a large factor loading (above 0.5 significant levels).
All the three factors explain a cumulative variance of 76 per cent. Factors 1, 2 and 3 have
nine, seven and seven significant loadings, respectively, while Factors 4 and 5 have five
significant loadings. These results suggest that the Halal purchase intention would be a
combination of F1 (Halal Awareness), F2 (Personal and Societal Perception), F3 (Halal
Marketing), F4 (Halal Certification) and F5 (Religious Belief).
Comparison of means. To answer RQ2, the data of respondents were divided on the
basis of intensity of religious beliefs towards Halal food. All the respondents falling
within the first quartile have high religious beliefs and those lying above the third
quartile have low religious beliefs towards Halal food. Independent t-test has been
applied to check the difference of factors influencing the purchase intention of Halal
food. Out of total sample, 28 are high religious concerned and 33 are low religious
concerned respondents. The people with high religious beliefs are influenced more with
respect to all antecedents. However, the difference in Personal and Societal Perception,
Halal food certification, Halal food awareness and Halal food marketing is insignificant
with reference to religious belief intensity (Tables II and III).
Analytical hierarchal process. To achieve the answer of RQ3, Analytic Hierarchy
Process (AHP) was applied. This process is a multi-criteria decision-making method.
This method was introduced by Wind and Saaty (1980) in which the qualitative
Component
Factors
Personal affecting Halal
Halal societal Halal Halal Religious purchase
Variables awareness perception marketing certification belief intention
Make sure that the product is Halal 0.984
Make sure about the product Halal
ingredients 0.963
649
Make sure that certain food additives
contain Halal ingredients 0.972
Make sure to have enough knowledge
to make an informed Decision 0.976
Government is responsible for Halal
product availability 0.971
Halal Authorities are responsible for
Halal product availability 0.991
Manufacturers are responsible for
Halal product availability 0.983
Supermarkets are responsible for Halal
product availability 0.974
Purchase Halal food products if
labeled as Halal 0.979
Social pressure to purchase the Halal
product 0.844
Public of Pakistan gives priority to
Halal products 0.744
Public of Pakistan have a lot of choice
for Halal Products 0.836
Halal products are easily available in
the Pakistani market 0.846
Willing to put considerable effort in
obtaining Halal foods 0.762
Positive perception to purchase Halal
products 0.849
Behavioral belief that the product is
Halal lead to favorable attitudes 0.863
Brand is vital to purchase a Halal
product 0.835
Celebrity endorsement is important in
purchasing the Halal product 0.861
Purchase a Halal product with familiar
brand name 0.833
Make sure about the quality of Halal
products 0.863
Price influences the purchase of Halal
food products 0.863
Purchase expensive Halal food
products 0.836 Table I.
Sales promotion influences your Factor analysis for
purchase of Halal product 0.861 Halal purchase
(continued) intention
MRR Component
38,6 Personal
Halal societal Halal Halal Religious
Variables awareness perception marketing certification belief
measures are converted into rector scale weights that are pooled into linear addition
weights for alternatives. These resulted weights are used to prioritize the alternatives
and thus the decision-maker would be in a better position to make a proper decision
(Formen and Gass, 2001). The Haree primary functions of AHP are the strengthening
complexity, measurement on ratio scale and the synthesis. Bhatti et al. (2013) explained
these functions.
Significance Mean SE
Independent samples test F Significance t df (two-tailed) difference difference Lower Upper
HPI
Equal variances assumed 6.153 0.016 ⫺1.354 59 0.181 ⫺0.16883 0.12470 ⫺0.41835 0.08068
Equal variances not assumed ⫺1.365 58.690 0.178 ⫺0.16883 0.12372 ⫺0.41642 0.07876
HA_G
Equal variances assumed 0.013 0.911 ⫺1.249 59 0.217 ⫺0.33585 0.26891 ⫺0.87393 0.20224
Equal variances not assumed ⫺1.241 55.623 0.220 ⫺0.33585 0.27070 ⫺0.87821 0.20652
PSP_G
Equal variances assumed 1.845 0.179 ⫺1.402 59 0.166 ⫺0.27712 0.19762 ⫺0.67255 0.11831
Equal variances not assumed ⫺1.424 58.981 0.160 ⫺0.27712 0.19463 ⫺0.66658 0.11233
MC_G
Equal variances assumed 6.352 0.014 ⫺1.363 59 0.178 ⫺0.38743 0.28415 ⫺0.95601 0.18115
Equal variances not assumed ⫺1.427 50.857 0.160 ⫺0.38743 0.27155 ⫺0.93264 0.15778
HC_G
Equal variances assumed 3.152 0.081 ⫺1.416 59 0.162 ⫺0.49203 0.34752 1.18742 0.20335
Equal variances not assumed ⫺1.431 58.918 0.158 ⫺0.49203 0.34380 1.18000 0.19594
RB_G
Equal variances assumed 12.565 0.001 ⫺15.565 59 0.000 ⫺3.07162 0.19734 3.46649 2.67675
Equal variances not assumed ⫺15.588 57.701 0.000 ⫺3.07162 0.19705 3.46610 2.67713
Table III.
651
intention
purchase
affecting Halal
Factors
Independent t-test
MRR The hierarchy of items affecting Halal food purchase intention based on the level of
38,6 criticality is given in Figure 1. It was applied on all dimensions of Halal food purchase
intension, explored through factor analysis and calculated the global weights. The
respondents were asked to compare pair-wise these constructs and their items over the
scale ⫺9 to 9. A detailed analysis is done to develop a hierarchical index based on global
priority weights of items affecting Halal food purchase intention.
652 All the items are distributed into three tiers. Tier I is “critical factor’ consisting of
three items for the Personal and Societal Perception, namely, “public of Pakistan have a
lot of choice for Halal products”, “public of Pakistan gives priority to Halal product” and
“willing to put considerable effort in obtaining Halal product” and one factor from Halal
marketing as “Purchase expensive Halal food product”. The existence of these factors is
mandatory to create Halal purchase intention. Tier II are supporting factors. These are
the factors which support the critical factors. There are two such factors from Halal
marketing and two from the Personal and Societal Perception. Tier III composed of all
the remaining “other factors which are relatively less important and are to be
maintained”. The producers of Halal food should make efforts to enhance the factors
belonging to Halal marketing and Personal and Societal Perception (Figure 2).
With reference to the aforementioned results, it can be drawn that customers in
Pakistan have a lot of choice for Halal food mainly because of its availability. The
government and regulatory authority are responsible for the availability of such food. In
addition to this, there is always a social pressure to purchase Halal food, as “haram” is
Figure 2.
Graphical
representation of
AHP explaining
individual variables
based on the level of
criticality
not religiously and publicly accepted to sell or to buy. Because of this, customers are Factors
willing to put considerable efforts and money in purchasing Halal food. This shows that affecting Halal
they have a very positive perception about it. In addition to this, their purchase intention
is also guided by the brand name of the product. Customers create familiarity with the
purchase
products that are being endorsed by the celebrities and build an association with them intention
in the form of brands.
Correlation analysis. To answer RQ4, the contribution of different antecedents of 653
Halal food towards its purchase intention was measured using Pearson’s correlation
co-efficient, and the results are listed in Table IV.
The results show that the maximum contribution to antecedent’s of Halal food
purchase intention is coming from marketing of Halal food. It is significantly positive
related with Halal food awareness. The investment in the marketing of Halal food will
not only improve the purchase intention, rather will increase the awareness of the
customers for the Halal food. Whereas, marketing of Halal food has no relationship with
Personal and Societal Perception and religious beliefs. This indicates that the campaign
HPI
Pearson correlation 1 0.005 0.173** 0.150** 0.189** 0.184** 0.181**
Significance (2-tailed) 0.937 0.006 0.018 0.003 0.004 0.004
N 300 300 300 300 300 300 300
HA_G
Pearson correlation 0.005 1 ⫺0.052 0.120 ⫺0.085 ⫺0.123 0.487**
Significance (2-tailed) 0.937 0.410 0.057 0.180 0.051 0.000
N 300 300 300 300 300 300 300
PSP_G
Pearson correlation 0.173** ⫺0.052 1 0.013 0.100 0.074 0.449**
Significance (2-tailed) 0.006 0.410 0.836 0.115 0.244 0.000
N 300 300 300 300 300 300 300
MC_G
Pearson correlation 0.150* 0.120 0.013 1 0.032 0.070 0.607**
Significance (2-tailed) 0.018 0.057 0.836 0.614 0.274 0.000
N 300 300 300 300 300 300 300
HC_G
Pearson correlation 0.189** ⫺0.085 0.100 0.032 1 0.252** 0.273**
Significance (2-tailed) 0.003 0.180 0.115 0.614 0.000 0.000
N 300 300 300 300 300 300 300
RB_G
Pearson correlation 0.184** ⫺0.123 0.074 0.070 0.252** 1 0.186**
Significance (2-tailed) 0.004 0.051 0.244 0.274 0.000 0.003
N 300 300 300 300 300 300 300
Overall
Pearson correlation 0.181** 0.487** 0.449** 0.607** 0.273** 0.186** 1 Table IV.
Significance (2-tailed) 0.004 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.003 Correlation analysis
N 300 300 300 300 300 300 300 for the contribution
of individual
Notes: * p ⬍ 0.01; ** p ⬍ 0.05 antecedents
MRR of marketing of Halal food is not taking into account the Personal and Societal
38,6 Perception and religious beliefs of the people of Pakistan. The second highest
contributing antecedent towards purchase intention of Halal food is Halal food
awareness. (r ⫽ 0.487, p ⫽ 0.000). Again it has significant positive relationship with
marketing of Halal food and no relationship with Personal and Societal Perception and
Halal food certification but negative relationship (r ⫽ ⫺0.123, p ⫽ 0.051) with religious
654 belief of customer towards Halal food. These results indicate that investment towards
creation of awareness of customers towards Halal food will enhance the marketing
efforts and will also influence more the less religious belief customers towards Halal
food purchase intention.
The Halal food certification also significantly contributes towards the purchase
intention of Halal food. It is significantly related with religious belief (r ⫽ 0.252,
p ⫽ 0.000) and Personal and Societal Perception of Halal food (r ⫽ 0.100, p ⫽ 0.115). The
efforts towards Halal food certification will positively affect the Personal and Societal
Perception and religious beliefs towards the purchase intention of Halal food.
Regression analysis. Finally, the regression analysis shows that out of five, four
variables have significant impact on the consumer purchase intention of the Halal food
products. It is revealed that there is a highly significant and positive relationship
between Personal and Societal Perception, Halal Marketing, Halal Certification,
Religious Belief and Halal Purchase Intention which means that as the concern of the
people regarding these dimensions will become higher, the more are the chances that
their intention to purchase Halal food products will be increased. However, there is no
significant impact of Halal Awareness on the customers to purchase the Halal food
products (Table V).
Coefficients
Unstandardized Standardized
Explained Explanatory coefficients coefficients
variables variables B Std. error Beta t Significance Results
Further reading
Global Halal food industry.pdf (2014), available at: www.spring.gov.sg/Industry/FM/Documents/
660 Global_Halal_Food_Industry.pdf
Hassan, S.H. (2011), “Consumption of functional food model for Malay Muslims in Malaysia”,
Journal of Islamic Marketing, Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 104-124.
Mennell, S. (1985), All Manners of Food, Blackwell, Oxford.
Phau, I. and Trinh, V.D. (2011), “Influence of materialism and life satisfaction on consumer
willingness to buy counterfeit luxury brands”, International Conference “Luxury and
Counterfeiting, Wesford, Geneva.
Porter, M.E. (1974), “Consumer behavior, retailer power and market performance in consumer
goods industries”, Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 56 No. 4, pp. 419-436.
Corresponding author
Ahmad Nabeel Siddiquei can be contacted at: ahmad_nabeel_13@hotmail.com
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